Self-feeding hammer.



No. 764,216. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

r J. WFTHOMPSON.

SELF FEEDING HAMMER.

APPLICATION nun MAY 29. 1903. no MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H g E.

. James 717. Jinn 75021 PATENTED JULY 5, 1904- No. 764,216- r j J. W.THOMPSON.

sELE FEEDING HAMMER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SELF-FEEDING HAMMER.

SPEGIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,216, dated July 5,1904.

Application filed May 29, 1903. Serial No. 159,281. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES W. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Deer River, in the county of Itasca and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self-Feeding Hammers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to hammers, and more particularly to amagazine-hamrner or one adapted to contain a number of nails which arefed to the head of the hammer in successive order.

The object of the invention is to provide a hammer of thisdescriptionparticularly adapted for the use of lather-s whereby a'number of nailscan be started in rapid suceession and then subsequently driven in tothe full extent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hammer of this kind inwhich the starting of one nail into the'wood will effect the release ofthe next adjacent nail from the magazine and put it in position to bedriven.

With these and certain other objects in view the invention consists inthe novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement, all ofwhich will be fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication, Figure 1 is aperspective view of a magazine-hammer constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of a hatchet-head whichmay be used in connection with my improved hammer. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is an invertedperspective view of the connecting-block adapted to hold the sections ofthe handle and magazine together. Fig. & is a detail perspective view,partly in section, showing the two sections of the handle and thegrooves produced in the contiguous faces thereof. Fig. 5 is a transversesectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

tional view of said head, taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is adetail horizontal section on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7. Figs. 10 and 11 aredetail perspective views of the plunger shown.

in different positions. Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view of theblock carrying the springpawl. Fig. 13 is an inverted perspective viewof the top portion of the head of the hammer. Fig. 14 is a perspectiveview of one side of the lower portion. Fig. 15 is a perspective view ofthe opposite side of the lower portion. Fig.

16 is a detail perspective view of the spring for holding the nail whilebeing operated upon by the anvil.

In carrying out my invention I construct the head of the hammer of twosections, the upper section A and the lower section B, and this lowersection is divided vertically vinto two parts B and B said parts beingreduced at their upper ends and threaded, as shown at B", and upon whichscrews the upper section A, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7, and8. The handle (J is preferablyconstructed integral with the lowersection of the head, and it also is composed of two portions C and C thesections of the handle being held together by means of aconnecting-block D, which has a dovetailed longitudinal projection Dupon the bottom face thereof, which is adapted to engage the undercutface of the longitudinal ribs the outer face of said longitudinal ribsbeing engaged by the side extensions D formed upon opposite sides of theconnectingblock, and by means of this construction the sections of thehandle will be securely held together, it being understood that theconnecting-block slides freely upon the handle for the purposehereinafter explained. hen the handle-sections are connected, there is avertical slot or opening E extending from one end of the handle to theother, said slot being enlarged at the top by means of the grooves E,produced in the contiguous face of the hammer-sections, said groovesbeing intended to receive the head of the nail F, while the slotreceives the shank or body of the nail.

The handle constructed as herein shown and described constitutes themagazine of the hammer, and for the purpose of feeding the nails to thehead of the hammer I employ a cushsaid block, said bore also containingthe spiral spring G which presses against the block, and consequentlyforces the pusher forwardly or toward the head of the hammer, andinasmuch as the lower portion of said pusher rests within the slot inthe handle and bears against the rearmost nail of the series. it isobvious that the spring-pressure upon said pusher will tend to feed theentire series of nails forwardly. The sections B and B of the head ofthe hammer are each provided with chambers in their contiguous faces, sothat when the sections of the head of the hammer are placed togetherample space will be provided for the parts necessary to effect thereceiving of the nail from the magazine and the driving of the same intothe wood. The section B is formed with an opening H, in which fits ablock I, and it will be noted that the upper end of the opening H iscurved, as shown at H, and the bottom reversely curved, as shown at Hand that the ends of the block I are correspondingly shaped, as shown atI and I, so

that when the block is inserted and secured by means of a screw H itwill be securely ency of which is to throw the pawl inwardly, so that itwill engage and receive the head of the nail forced from the magazine,said nail resting upon the pawl and between the head of the pawl and theanvil. The other sideof the pawl is constructed with a curved shoulder Lthe purpose of which will appear hereinafter.

M indicates a plunger working in the chamber in the head of the hammer,said plunger being of a length substantially equal to the entire lengthof the head, and it will be noted that the upper section of the head isalso provided with a chamber A, in which said plunger works, saidchamber also containing acoilspring A which is adapted to bear againstthe head M of the plunger M. This plunger has a finger M extendingdownwardly from the head M to a point adjacent the center of theplunger, and just below the lower end of the finger M the plunger is cutaway, as shown at M and the lower portion of the plunger is grooved, asshown at M", for the purpose of guiding the nail. A spring N is arrangedin the lower portion of the head of the hammer, the free end thereofresting adjacent the plunger, the purpose of said spring being to holdthe nail firmly against the said plunger.

In operation the magazine or handle is filled with nails and theconnecting-block arranged upon the said magazine so that the pusher willcontact with the last of the series of nails. The various parts are thenin the position shown in Fig. 2, and by pressing upon the lower end ofthe plunger the said plunger is forced upwardly, and as soon as thefinger M passes beyond the pawl L the foremost nail will drop upon saidpawl and be held there. As soon as the pressure is removed from theplunger the spring A will force the plunger outwardly and the finger Mwill contact with the head of the nail. At the same time the plungeroperating upon the curved shoulder L of the pawl will force the saidpawl outwardly, so as to release the head of the nail, and the nail willbe forced downwardly alongside the anvil and will finally pass beyondthe same and will be held in such position by the spring N. By means ofa short quick blow the nail can be started into the wood, and then byquickly pulling the head of the hammer away the nail will be left in thewood. When the nail is being driven in by the anvil, the plunger will beforced upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 7, thereby permitting thenext nail to drop down into a position for feeding, and as theseoperations are continued the nails will be successively fed from themagazine or handle to the head or driving portion of the hammer, andafter a sufficient numberof nails have been started the hammer'can bereversed and the nails driven completely home by striking them with thesection A of the head. The spring-actuated pusherwill operate to feedthe nails along the magazine, and by moving the connecting-block,whichcarries the pusher forward step by step as occasion may require, aconstant pressure can be maintained upon a series of nails, and for thepurpose of permitting this forward movement step by step I provide aspring 0, which is connected to the connecting-block and is adapted toengage the series of notches 0, produced in the undercut edges D of oneof the sections of the handle.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an upper section A, having a hatchet-blade formedintegral with the body portion of the upper section'of the head, thuscombining a hatchet with the hammer.

It will thus be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple and eflicientconstruction of self-feeding or magazine hammer.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with-a hollow hammerhead, of a handle formed in twosections spaced apart, longitudinal ribs on said sections, means forholding nails between the two sections, a slidable, grooved blockadapted to fit over the ribs and hold the sections together,

means for advancing nails step by step to the head, and a plungerworking in the head and adapted to receive the nails.

2. In a hammer of the kind described, a handle composed of two sectionsgrooved as dethe handle-sections,substantially as described.

ranged therein, a spring-actuated plunger working in the said head saidspring-actuated plunger having a depending finger, an anvil and aspring-actuated pawl arranged within the head of the handle, and aspring for bolding a nail against the plunger, substantially as setforth.

5. In a hammer of the kind described, the head composed of the upper andlower sections, the lower section being divided vertically as described,of a block fitted in one portion of thelower section, an anvil rigidlyconnected to said block, a spring-actuated pawl carried by the block, aplunger working in the head of the hammer and provided with means forengaging the pawl and the finger carried by the plunger and adapted toengage the head of the nail, and the spring arranged in the head of thehammer for the purpose of holding the nail against the lower portion ofthe plunger, substantially as described.

JAMES W. THOMPSON.

WVitnesses:

GEORGE CHANDLER, THOMAS CoLLINs.

